Lost-motion device for player-piano actions.



A. P. GUSTAFSON.

LOST MOTION DEVICE FOR PLAYER PIANO ACTIONS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY19,19I3.

1,169,480. Patented Jan. 1916.

- 13 Rue THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAFH co., WASHKNGTON. D. c.

V ADOLPH PETER GUSTAFSO N,

when STATES rA r nivT OFFIQE.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO M. SCHULZ CO.,'OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. I

Los'rwioTIoii DEVICE Foa- PLAYER-PIANO ACTIONS.

T 0 all whom-it may concern:

Be itkn'own that I, Aoo'LPH PnTERGU's 'rArsoiv,a citizen of the'United States, re-

siding at Chicago, infthe countyo'f' Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new'and useful Improvement in Lost-Motion- Devices for Player-Piano Actions, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and

exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to player-piano ac tions and like apparatus. 7

Prominent objects ofthe invention'are to provide a simple, practical and inexpensive arrangement for preventing lost motion on the part of such actions; to permit thejadaptation of such mechanism to various kinds and forms of actions; to permit adjustment to each'type of action; to obtain compactness, simplicity and smallness insize; and to secure the foregoing and other desirable ends in asiniple and expeditious manner.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an end elevation'of a player piano action embodying my present invention; Fig. 2 is a front view of the same; Fig. 3 is aview of a piano action containing a lost motion device embodying my invention as applied.

'In the-drawings I have shown an action chest 1 which may be. of any suitable con struction and contain valves, pouches, and

suitableports comprising mechanisintobe actuated by air coming through a tracker tube 2. As the interior. of this chest forms,

-pn0 part of my invention the arrangement thereof is not shown in't'lie drawing. Below the chest 1 is a pneumatic 3 which is understood to represent one of a series of pneuma'tics secured for convenience to'the under side of the chest 1, the upper fixed leaf 4'' of said pneumatic being desirably secured firmly to the lower surface of the action chest. The loose or swinging leaf 5 is shown provided witha pro ecting member 6 attached to-the free or swinging end of said leaf andfthis projection G is understood to engage an engaging surface 7 formed by a block 8 on the sticker of the piano action so as to operate the same, as shown in Fig. 3, it being'understood, of course that this is merely illustrative of one method in'which the pneumatic can be applied for service. At the other end of the swinging leaf 5 is another projecting member 10 which extends Specification of Letters Patent.

' Application filed Majl t), 1913. Serial No. 768,492. 7

ing with said projection PatentedJan. 25, 1916.

or projects/beyond the hinged endof the.

pneumatic,'as shown in Fig. 1. An abutment conveniently in the form of a button'll engages'the end of said member 10so asto limit the downward swinging movement of the swinging leaf 50f said pneumatic. As a convenient arrangement the button 11 is carried by a threaded pin 12 which is passed through a projecting member or stud 13 inserted and secured to the action chest 1. Thus the screw 12' may be turned so as to adjust the button 11 up or down and thereb changv the point at which said button will be engaged bythe end of the clip 10. In this way the limit of the downward move ment of the swinging leaf 5 I or shifted as desired, and this of course permits'an accurate adjustment of th'eswinging leaf of the pneumatic to the particular (.lG-i.

vice or element to which the pneumatic is applied for service. It also perniitsthe armay be changed rangenient to be applied to various kinds of actions permitting ad j u'stment of the swing ing leaf-as required. It will be seen that this accurate ad ustment of the pneumatic tothe element with which it cof'perates per mits the parts to work closely together and so eliminates lost motion.

readily. and easily and quickly adjusted simplyby turning the screw l2'with the fingers orwith some tool adapted to engage theeye at the upper end of the same. conveniently done from the accessible-side of the action, 'or what may be termed the front of the action, the player action being placed. in 'front of the piano action. Thus theadjustment to the stickers is made without inconvenience and without having to get to the'back of'the action, orin other words It will also be seen that each individual pneumatic can be This can be to'th'e' point where the adjustment is to be ing a movable member, a striking mechanism, said movable member engaging said striking mechanism, a stationary abutment, said. movable member having a portion which engages the stationary abutment, and said portion normally resting against said abutment.

The combination with a pneumatic having a swinging leaf, of a projection at the hinged end of said swinging leaf, a screw having its end provided with a device posi ticned to engage said projection, and a fixed support for fixedly holding said screw so as to cause the same to serve as an abutment for said projection.

at. The combination of a support, a pneumatic secured thereto, a projection on the swinging leaf of said pneumatic at the hinged end thereof, a pin secured to and projecting from said support, and a screw passing through said pin and having its end in engagement with said projection on the pneumatic swinging leaf.

5. The combination of an action chest, a pneumatic secured to the under side thereof with the swinging leaf of said pneumatic underneath, a projection at the hinged end of said pneumatic, an abutment carried by said action chest and positioned to engage the projection on said swinging leaf, and a piano action sticker provided with a projecting member adapted for engagement with the free end of said swinging leaf.

6. The combination with an action chest, of a pneumatic secured to the under side of the same with its swinging leaf underneath, projecting members at the opposite ends of said swinging leaf, a pin secured to said action chest and provided with a screw extending downwardly and having its lower end in engagement with the projecting member at the hinged end of the pneumatic, and a piano sticker provided with a block whose lower end is in engagement with the projecting member at the free end of the pneumatic.

7. The combination of a player action having pneumatics with their hinged ends at the front of the action and their swinging ends at the rear thereof, and means at the hinged ends of said pneumatics for adjusting the swinging leaves thereof.

8, lhe combination of a player action having swinging leaf pneumatics located with their hinged ends in front, a piano action in the rear of said player action coope 'ating with said pneumatics, and means adjacent to the hinged ends of said pneumatics, an abutment and projections extending beyond the front end of said pneumatics and threaded screws positioned to control said abutments.

9. The combination of a pneumatic, a striking mechanism engaged by the pneumatic, a projection, and adjustable stop provided at one end of the pneumatic, and means whereby the end of the pneumatic adjacent said striking mechanism is moved relative to the striking mechanism by the adjustable stop.

10. The combination of a pneumatic having a swinging element, a member actuated by said swinging element, and adjustable means for moving said element with relation to said member.

11. The combination of a pneumatic h'av-,

ing a .movable member, one end of which engages a striking mechanism, a stationary abutment provided at the end of said pneumatic remote from the striking mechanism, the end of the movable member adjacent the abutment having a portion which cooperates with said abutment, said portion resting against said abutment when said pneumatic is expanded.

12. The combination of a pneumatic having its hinged end provided with a projection and an adjustable abutment cooperating with said projection and engaging the same when said pneumatic is expanded.

In witness thereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 28th day of April, A. D. 1913.

ADOLPH PETER GUSTAFSON. Witnesses A. MILLER BELFIELD,

A. LYDA JONES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

